Peter Kažimír to lead the National Bank of Slovakia

President Andrej Kiska will appoint the current finance minister on June 1.

Finance Minister Peter KažimírFinance Minister Peter Kažimír (Source: TASR)

Incumbent Finance Minister Peter Kažimír (Smer) will officially become the new governor of the National Bank of Slovakia (NBS), the country's central bank. President Andrej Kiska will officially appoint him on June 1.

SkryťTurn off ads
Article continues after video advertisement
SkryťTurn off ads
Article continues after video advertisement

The incumbent governor, Jozef Makúch, was intending to leave office on March 1. Nevertheless, he has agreed to remain at the helm of the bank until Kažímír takes up his appointment.

"I accepted Finance Minister Peter Kažimír's request to delay his departure from the government after an agreement with PM Peter Pellegrini (Smer)," said Kiska, as quoted by the TASR newswire.

SkryťTurn off ads
Read also: Finance Minister Kažimír wants to govern the central bank Read more 

"I want to spend the time before my appointment preparing for my new position and the challenges related to it," Kažimír claimed, as quoted by the SITA newswire.

He also wants to take some time off to distance himself from public finance, of which he has a been part for 12 years.

Deputy governor's chair remains empty

Kiska was also expected to decide on the appointment of Jozef Hudák, who wants to become the new vice governor. However, the opposition as well as Makúch have criticised him over his qualifications.

"On the whole, I am satisfied but Mr president will have the final say," said Hudák after his meeting with Kiska, during which they discussed several topics, as reported by TASR.

In the meantime, Makúch announced he will move on as a host professor at the Faculty of National Economy at the University of Economics in Bratislava after he leaves the NBS, TASR wrote.

SkryťTurn off ads

Kažimír's ambitions

Read also: Finance Minister headed for the central bank, insiders claim Read more 

The details of Kažimír's departure from the Finance Ministry are not clear either. He briefed the media solely on his plans as the new governor.

"My ambition is to continue the modernisation of the NBS and make it into an institution, which will be able to respond to challenges," he said, as quoted by SITA.

Kažimír wants not only to prepare the bank for new technologies and digitalisation, but also for people to understand its role and importance in their everyday lives. Kažimír also underlined the interconnection of the NBS and the European Central Bank (ECB) within the eurozone, SITA wrote.

"Our joint task is not only to secure price stability but also the stability and good shape of the banking sector itself," he said, as quoted by SITA.

Kažimír also wants to increase the participation of the NBS in the research for the ECB's monetary policy.

Top stories

News digest: Rain causes flooding and driving difficulties in Bratislava. Slovakia under storm warning

A drunk driver gets a prison sentence, free events in Bratislava, and a corporate volunteering event returns.


7 h
Vrakuňa’s citizens presented apples washed in water with leaked toxins at the protest in 2016.

Chemical time bomb in Bratislava’s Vrakuňa keeps ticking

The state is failing to solve leaking chemical waste dump.


31. may
Jupiter (centre) and its Galilean moons: from left Ganymede, Io, Europa and Callisto. Juice with deployed antennas and arrays is in the bottom right.

From Košice to Ganymede: Slovak engineers are leaving their mark in space

Slovaks are active participants in two ongoing space missions.


20. may
The Supreme Administrative Court in Bratislava.

Q&A: How does the new justice reform affect people's lives?

The reform also known as the new map of courts became applicable on June 1 of this year.


6. jun
SkryťClose ad